The White House is said to be planning to rearrange the seating chart for reporters in the press briefing room, taking the role away from the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Axios reported that an anonymous senior White House official conveyed that plans have already been formalized for a “fundamental restructuring of the briefing room, based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today.”
“The goal isn’t merely favorable coverage,” the official said. “It’s truly an honest look at consumption [of the outlets’ coverage]. Influencers are important but it’s tough because they aren’t [equipped to provide] consistent coverage. So the ability to cover the White House is part of the metrics.”
Axios explained, “Prominent seats in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room are coveted because it’s easier to catch the press secretary’s eye to ask tough and probing questions.
“Those correspondents’ interactions are also more likely to be showcased on TV,” the outlet further noted.
🚨🚨🚨NEW in @axios AM:@WhiteHouse to impose new Briefing Room seating chart, which for decades was managed by @whca, in coming weeks
WH official tells me it’s a “fundamental restructuring of the briefing room, based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today”👇 pic.twitter.com/OsxNUnffzv
— Mike Allen (@mikeallen) March 30, 2025
Below is the seating chart created by the WHCA.
In front are the three broadcast network news divisions — ABC, CBS, and NBC — along with cable news channels Fox News and CNN, as well as the Associated Press and Reuters news services.
Do you support these press briefing changes?
In the second row are some of the nation’s major print and radio outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and USA Today.
Nearly all of the media outlets listed above are liberal, with the exception of Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, while USA Today is arguably center-left.
This is the White House press briefing room seating chart. Want to how it’s set and how it can be changed? pic.twitter.com/P9stRn6Kul
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) December 6, 2024
The White House’s reported plans to rearrange the briefing room chart comes on top of a decision last month to end the WHCA’s role in picking the press pool for events in smaller spaces like Air Force One or the Oval Office.
“For decades, you have a group of journalists based here in Washington, D.C., who dictate which reporters go into the most intimate spaces of the American presidency,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
“That system hasn’t changed since the early 1900s. Obviously, the media today in 2025 looks a heck of a lot different than it did when the White House Correspondents’ Association was formed,” she added.
“So moving forward, we’re going to expand the pool’s access to the president to non-traditional journalists. Legacy media will still have a seat, just like they still have a seat in our briefing room, but we’re going to bring in new voices into the fold,” Leavitt said.
.@karolineleavitt: “For decades, you have a group of journalists based here in Washington D.C. who dictate which reporters go into the most intimate spaces of the American presidency… Moving forward we’re going to expand the pool’s access.. We’re going to bring in new voices.” pic.twitter.com/JD0WR5NGX9
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) February 26, 2025
A plan to rearrange the briefing room feels right and long overdue.
Democratic media operatives, in effect, take up most of the prominent spots in the room. It’s time to shake things up and balance them out.
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